When I was growing up, on hot summer days dad used to get everyone into the car and head out to Lancaster, California to pick fat juicy cherries and sweet peaches from the old orchards. We'd make a day of it, hiking in "The Devil's Punchbowl1", having a burger at some roadside dive and driving home tired and happy, the … [Read more...]

In the early 90's, I had my first dinner at Ringside, yet I remember the night like it was yesterday. It was a cool, crisp winter evening. I wanted to impress a date, and knowing nothing about the Portland food scene, was told it would be a safe bet. Going inside was like stepping into a steakhouse circa 1960. It was … [Read more...]

Like impatient readers who sneak a look at the last page of a novel, I have a tendency to scan the dessert selections on a menu before checking out anything else. It’s probably because I want to gage my appetitive capacity to decide if I’ll save room for a sweet, or simply wish to plan my dinner with the tastes lined … [Read more...]

You hear all the time that one of the lamentable gaps in Portland’s culinary scene is the absence of great Chinese restaurants. Understandably there is little here to compare with the Chinese food palaces of San Francisco or Vancouver, B.C., but sadly we fall down in that department relative to Seattle as well. But a … [Read more...]

(minor updates 3/2013)
With the myriad of restaurants opening in Portland every year, it is easy to forget some of the older ones, which often are better than the latest gastronomic trend-setters. In my opinion, Andina is one of these, a restaurant that rarely disappoints, always intrigues and provides a great … [Read more...]

On the way home from dinner at Nel Centro one evening, I was bemoaning the fact that I hadn’t had a good meal since I reviewed Tabla. At that moment, we drove past Higgins, which looked completely full. It had been at least five years since my last dinner there, but it used to be one of my favorite restaurants, so I … [Read more...]

Since it was first built by Bruce Carey Restaurants, the 23Hoyt space has gone through multiple incarnations. The first was a short-lived Italian restaurant named Balvo, the second, 23Hoyt, managed by the well known chef Chris Israel. Chris has now moved on to open his own restaurant. Now, a third version has … [Read more...]

It seems like there are hundreds of Thai restaurants in Portland, with little to differentiate them. Pasty noodles, dried out meat, and curry paste from a jar seem to be the norm. When I stumble across one that is actually good, I am always surprised. Kinara Thai Bistro, next to the Lincoln High athletic field in the … [Read more...]